Can Special Education students also receive ELL services?
All students who are eligible for ELL service, including students who receive special education services, need to be served. If a student who qualifies for ELL service also qualifies for Special Education, the ELL teacher should be part of the IEP team, which should determine the level and kind of ELL service. Special Ed service does not replace ELL service, but the two can work together to make sure that the student’s day is kept as whole as possible, and that services complement the classroom instruction as they meet the IEP goals. What the service model looks like for each student depends on the particular Special Ed and ELL needs of an individual student. In some cases the student’s disability makes it very difficult for ELL services to have an impact, but that should be documented in the IEP. In other cases, the Special Ed needs do not intersect with or impact ELL services, and the student will have full service from both areas. In no case should we just assume that because a stud
